The Russian Federation's posture towards the European Neighbourhood Policy - A neoclassical realist explanation

This chapter explores the Russian Federation’s perspective on the European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP) as a way to attenuate the auto-referential literature on the foreign policy of the European Union (EU). Therefore, the chapter proposes an alternative perspective on the ENP by looking at Russia, a major adversary of that policy. The external political context in which the EU operates is also – and to a large extent – defined by the intentions and actions of other actors. The pluralization of points of view in the analysis of the ENP is expected to suggest new theoretical avenues. Russia in particular has historically played a relevant role in the Eastern and South Caucasian countries included in the ENP, and is determined to hold a strong influence in the region.